KC DEBRIEF WEEK 23, FRIDAY 2024/06/07
DIGITAL TITANS
_ Zoom users in the not-too-distant future could send AI avatars to attend meetings in their absence, the company’s chief executive has suggested, delegating the drudge-work of corporate life to a system trained on their own content. Such a system would be “five or six years” away, Eric Yuan told The Verge magazine, but he added that the company was working on nearer-term technologies that could bring it closer to reality.“ Let’s assume, fast-forward five or six years, that AI is ready,” Yuan said. “AI probably can help for maybe 90% of the work, but in terms of real-time interaction, today, you and I are talking online. So, I can send my digital version, you can send your digital version.”
_ Instagram is testing adverts that users cannot skip past. The social media platform currently allows people to swipe or scroll past adverts that appear in its main feed of images and videos, as well as in its Stories and Reels feeds. But it is now trialling a feature called "ad break", which users say they can not flick past as usual. Images shared online show a timer, which counts down to zero before normal functionality can resume. "Sometimes you may need to view an ad before you can keep browsing," the Meta-owned platform tells those who click for more information. Instagram has confirmed to the BBC that a trial is under way.
_ Google has just unveiled ChatDirector, a cutting-edge Remote Video Conferencing System (RVCS) designed to blend the best of virtual and in-person meeting experiences. This new technology promises to make remote interactions feel more natural by incorporating advanced features like space-aware visual presence and speech-aware attention transition assistance.
_ Netflix has announced more than a dozen new video games, including one based on its “Emily in Paris” TV series and the mobile version of “Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game,” as well as the release dates for eagerly anticipated titles including “The Dragon Prince: Xadia.”
ALSO
_ Nvidia's market value has surged past $3tn (£2.3tn), lifting the chip giant ahead of Apple to become the second most valuable publicly listed company in the world.The firm's share price rose more than 5% on Wednesday, to more than $1,224. It extended a breathtakingly rapid climb that started last year, powered by bets that the US firm is positioned to be a major winner from a wave of investment in artificial intelligence (AI). Its market value now sits just behind Microsoft, another key player in the industry thanks to its investments in Chat GPT-maker OpenAI.
_ That much-despised Apple ad could be more disturbing than it looks. Tech companies are running low on new experiences to offer us. A new ad for the iPad contains revealing hints of where they could go next. That Much-Despised Apple Ad Could Be More Disturbing Than It Looks - The New York Times
PEOPLE, MEDIA, CULTURE
AI AI LA LA LAND
// Turns out, AI applications aren’t just useful for cutting marketing production costs. U.K. clothing retailer Matalan has found they can also be used to drive website traffic by juicing the placement of Google Shopping ads. The retail brand and its media agency Havas Media U.K., placed AI-written copy in product descriptions on Google Shopping ads for men’s suits in the spring, and saw that search impressions increased by up to 16% compared to human-penned copy. The reason for the increase? Google’s ranking algorithms preferred the keyword-heavy sentences penned by ChatGPT over more descriptive copy written by people. The tactic was considered so promising that Matalan has begun piloting it on other product categories, including children’s shoes, homewares and womenswear. ”We find Google Shopping to be one of the best ways to drive our online performance and ensure that our products are reaching customers,” said Ali Jones, Matalan’s chief customer and omnichannel officer, in an email.
//MrBeast has overtaken T-Series as the biggest YouTube channel in a long-running battle for the most subscribers. Indian music label T-Series, which uploads trailers and music videos, held the record for the largest YouTube channel for five years, before it was toppled on Sunday. MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, was already the individual with the largest following. But the 26-year-old has now made history on the platform with a seemingly unassailable 269 million subscribers, dethroning T-Series and putting him head and shoulders above everything else.
BRANDS
_ IKEA is opening a new store on Roblox… and you could be paid to work there! Launching June 24th ‘The Co-Worker Game’ will allow players to experience working in IKEA’s virtual universe. Fans will be able to live their home furnishing dreams and get paid for it, with a limited number of paid roles available. Applications for paid roles in ‘The Co-worker Game’ are open from today until Sunday, 16th June. IKEA has unveiled a first look at ‘The Co-Worker Game’, a virtual universe coming to Roblox on June 24th. The immersive experience gives players the opportunity to experience IKEA's unique approach to careers where non-linear career journeys are the norm and lateral moves across departments are commonplace.As well as being the brand’s first foray into mainstream gaming, the virtual store will give people a chance to immerse themselves in the working world of IKEA. With a limited number of paid, virtual co-worker roles available in the game. Applications for roles in the virtual store open today (3rd June, 2024) and close on Sunday 16th June, with paid shifts for 10 new co-workers up for grabs. Successful applicants will be able to flex their skills, help customers, and get promoted to move departments, just like in the real world. Alongside the paid co-workers, the broader Roblox community, gamers and IKEA fans alike will be able to work, explore and experience the virtual world of IKEA on Roblox. They can venture to IKEA’s famous Swedish Food Market and Bistro and serve up endless amounts of meatballs or stop over at the various showrooms and use famous IKEA products to organise the space.
_ Joining other retailers in the virtual store trend, Walmart last week debuted its immersive shopping platform, dubbed Walmart Realm, according to a Wednesday LinkedIn post by Chief Marketing Officer William White. The immersive shopping experience lets consumers browse virtual environments and purchase products within them. The virtual store features three digital environments curated by online creators Mai Phammy, Nava Rose, Makenzie and Malia. The three sections, called Y’allternative, Go Chromatic and So Jelly, are Western, metallic and sea-themed environments where shoppers can buy home, fashion and beauty products.